A new Boone County Fair Queen will be crowned tonight. Seven women are competing to win the 2008 Miss Boone County Fair Queen Scholarship Competition. The queen wins $1,000 to be used at a school of her choice. The three women on her court win $750, $500 and $250, depending on where they place.

After a surprising season when four of its football teams finished in the top 10 in the final 2007 AP poll, the Big 12 Conference is no longer behind powerhouses like the SEC, Big 10 and Pac-10. The Big 12 is back among the elite, perhaps as strong as it’s been in 12 years as a conference.

The winner is a 2006 graduate of Southern Boone High School, and is currently attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She decided to run for fair queen after watching two of her friends compete in the competition in previous years.